Arvind Kejriwal Granted Bail By Supreme Court, But Opinion On Necessity Of Arrest Split

Arvind Kejriwal gets bail: The Supreme Court granted bail to Arvind Kejriwal but the two-judge bench was split in its opinion on the necessity of his arrest by CBI in the Delhi Excise Policy case.

Arvind Kejriwal gets bail: The Supreme Court has ordered Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to be released on bail. "As new witnesses and accused have been named, it is unlikely for trial to get completed on time. Appellant satisfies conditions for grant of bail," said the SC. The court, however, ordered Arvind Kejriwal to refrain from making any public comments on the Delhi Excise Policy case and asked him to be present for all hearings before the trial court, unless exempted.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan delivered verdicts and wrote their individual judgments. But both were in favour of granting bail to Arvind Kejriwal.

How Long Has Kejriwal Been In Jail 

Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21, 2024, in the Delhi liquor policy case. He was granted bail on June 20, 2024, by the Delhi High Court. However, the bail order was put on hold after an appeal by the ED. He was then placed under arrest by the CBI in the money laundering case related to the Delhi excise policy case. This, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Arvind Kejriwal, said was only an "insurance arrest".

Kejriwal has been in jail for a total of nearly 177 days now. Earlier, he had secured a 21-day interim bail from the Supreme Court for Lok Sabha elections campaigns from May 10 to June 1. 

Justice Bhuyan Question's Timing Of Arrest 

Justice Ujjal Bhuyan aired his opinion on the necessity and timing of the arrest by CBI, while Justice Surya Kant said that with new witnesses and accused being named in the case, the trial is unlikely to get completed on time. Justice Bhuyan said: "The CBI's timing of arrest raises serious apprehensions. Looks like it was done to frustrate the appellant who has been granted bail."

Justice Bhuyan further said that the CBI arrest was only a measure to make a "meaningless bail" in the ED case. He said the CBI must dispel the notion of being a "caged parrot" and expressed reservations against bail conditions in the ED case, barring Kejriwal from visiting the secretariat or signing files.

Pronouncing the bail order, Justice Surya Kant said: "We are not relegating the appellant to the trial court. We direct Arvind Kejriwal to be released on bail subject to the furnishing of bail bonds of Rs 10 lakh."